Golf putting training device

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for use by a golfer with a putter, and the method of its use, includes a member, removably and firmly attachable at/near its lower end to the shaft of the putter, and extending upwardly from the point of attachment and having an upper end, and the upper end of the member being adapted to contact an appropriate part of the anatomy of the golfer. When a golfer executes a correct putting stroke, the upper end of the member remains in contact with that part of the golfer&#39;s anatomy throughout the whole of the swing but, if the stroke is not correct, the upper end of the member either loses contact, or moves across, or presses harder into the anatomy of the golfer. A contact device in the form of a resilient ball or the like is fixed to the or each upper end. These are capable of giving an audible or visual warning of loss of contact with the golfer&#39;s body or of increased contact pressure with the body.

This specification relates to apparatus for improving golf puttingtechniques and to the method of using it.

Golf is an extremely popular game, both as a form of recreation and as acompetitive sport. As a recreation, it plays an important part inproviding players with physical exercise, e.g. walking, bending, keepingthe body supple and, of course, exercising the heart, lungs, etc., aswell as giving them fresh air in an outdoor environment. Thus for many,golf is an essential part in keeping themselves physically fit andhealthy. In addition to being a pure recreation, many golfers naturallywish to improve their technique and their handicaps, so that they cantake part in competitions at their local club, with other nearby clubsor, perhaps, even play professionally.

Golf, perhaps more than any other sport, is one where technique isall-important and where a slight improvement can bring disproportionaterewards. Learning the correct technique is difficult and thus there is aneed for equipment, and methods of using it, which golfers can use tohelp them improve.

Golf consists of three stages, i.e. driving, playing on and off thefairway, e.g. with woods, irons, wedges, etc, and putting. Technique isimportant at each of these stages but possibly most critical at theputting stage on the green where all those playing congregate for theclimax of the hole. It is here, under the critical gaze of one'sopponents, that nerves can affect a golfer's play and where adherence tocorrect technique can be most critical.

Most golf coaches advocate a ‘pendulum stroke’ for putting, in which theputter is swung by rotating the upper body and shoulders, with thewrists and arms remaining passive. Training devices for putting, basedon this method, include U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,392, where a member attachedto the putter extends under the armpit, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,401,which teaches a frame under both armpits. In both these cases, thetraining device acts to restrict the movement of the golfer to thatrequired, i.e. they act as a form of straightjacket physicallyrestraining movement. In contrast, a much more preferable form oftraining teaches the golfer to control muscle movements voluntarily.Thus, neither of these training devices adequately helps the golfer togain the necessary degree of voluntary muscle control to putt correctly.

A training device for the golf swing is U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,054, whichteaches a rod, attached to the golf club, that contacts the forearm inan incorrect swing but does not touch it if the swing is correct. Theproper technique for the golf swing is quite different to that forputting and so this method would not be suitable for putting practice.Furthermore, there are types of incorrect swing in which the rod willmove away from the arm, and these will not be indicated by thisparticular device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,446 teaches a putting aid with anextension of the putter shaft, which contacts the stomach area of thegolfer's body. This is not the best part of the body to monitor forincorrect movements during a practice swing.

The best parts of the body to monitor are the arms and shoulders, asthese are the key members connecting the torso to the putter. Monitoringthe movement of the arms and shoulders relative to that of the putterand controlling these movements voluntarily is the best way to perfect aputting stroke. None of the prior art achieves this.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided atraining device for use with a putter by a golfer for improving thetechnique of putting, the putter having a shaft and a head fixed at thelower end of the shaft, the device comprising: an elongate member,having a first end and at least one second end, the first end beingprovided with a mounting adapted to be detachably mounted on the shaftsuch that the elongate member extends upwardly away from the shaft at anangle set by an angularly-adjustable part of the mounting; and contactmeans at the second end of the elongate member and adapted to contact anappropriate part of the anatomy of the golfer; wherein the elongatemember and/or said mounting are adjustable so that the elongate memberextends for a predetermined distance and at a predetermined angle sothat the contact means contacts an appropriate part of the anatomy ofthe golfer in such a way that, when the golfer executes a correctputting stroke, the contact means remains in contact with that part ofthe golfer's anatomy throughout the whole of the swing but, if thestroke is not correct, the contact means either loses contact, or movesacross, or presses harder into the anatomy of the golfer.

In one form of the invention, the contact means is provided by thesecond end of the elongate member. However, in a preferred embodimentthe contact means is in the form of a body attached to the second end ofthe elongate member. In this case, the body is preferably a ball ofresilient material such as foam rubber.

The mounting, which detachably mounts the elongate member to the puttershaft, may comprise a clamp with suitable hand-operated means such as athumbscrew. The mounting may also incorporate a ball joint, or anotherkind of joint with the same number of degrees of freedom.

Preferably, the mounting carries a scale on its angularly-adjustablepart so that the angle of attachment of the elongate member to theputter shaft can be noted. In this way it is possible to record theangle and reset the device to the same angle at a later time.

The length of the elongate member is preferably, but not necessarily,made adjustable and conveniently this is achieved by means of atelescopic portion thereof. In this case, the telescopic portion ispreferably marked with a scale so that the length (degree of extension)of the elongate member can be noted. However, a set of connectable tubeseach of fixed length could be used instead, in order to provide avariety of overall lengths of the elongate member.

In one form of the device, the elongate member is a rod or tube having asingle second end (free end).

In another form of the device, the elongate member is of a constructionsuch as a Y-shape, cross-shape, T-shape or L-shape providing more thanone second end, each of which has its own contact means. In this way,more than one part of the golfer's body can be contacted simultaneously.When more than one second end is provided, adjustable means arepreferably incorporated for adjusting the position of each second endrelative to the others, thus allowing freedom of placement of therespective contact means on the golfer's body. An L-shape, cross shapeor T-shape construction can conveniently be provided by attaching (e.g.clipping) a second rod or tube part way along the elongate member.

The body, which provides the or each contact means in the preferredembodiment, is preferably removable and/or interchangeable. In this wayit is possible to install bodies having different sizes and/orproperties.

The body can be adapted to give a visual and/or audible indication whencontact with the golfer's body is lost. In addition, an indication ofexcessive contact pressure may also be given.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is providedan assembly comprising a putter and a training device according to thefirst aspect.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodof practising a putting stroke using a training device according to thefirst aspect of the invention.

In a preferred exemplary application of the invention, the trainingdevice is clamped onto the shaft of the putter using a clampincorporating a ball joint or equivalent. The clamp and upwardlyextending member are attached in such a manner that they extend awayfrom the shaft of the putter and do not interfere with the golfer's(user's) movement. Ideally, the upwardly extending member is telescopicand terminates in an item or contact means at its upper end, whichcontacts the golfer's body (through a contact region) in a gentle way,e.g. the item may be a sphere.

Using the ball joint and telescopic extension, the training device isadjusted so that the sphere just touches an appropriate part (e.g. arm,shoulder or chest) of the golfer's body, namely a body part which it isimportant to control when putting. He/she may then practice puttingstrokes and, if the technique is correct, the sphere will remain incontact with the golfer's body throughout the whole of the stroke,including follow through. If the technique is not correct, contact willbe either lost during all, or part, of the stroke, or the sphere willpress harder onto the golfer's body or the sphere will slide over thegolfer's body.

The apparatus of the invention allows training in a series of stages,directed to different points on the body and/or different levels ofprecision of technique.

When the golfer has mastered one aspect of the technique, the ball jointand telescopic member may be re-positioned so that the sphere touchesanother part of the body and this aspect of the technique can bepracticed. The process can be repeated as often as necessary until thegolfer has obtained the required technical level and/or until the golfercan correctly control movement of every important body part, especiallythe hands, arms, shoulders and upper chest. The golfer can return to aprevious stage of training, if a subsequent stage results in a problemwith the previous stage(s). Ideally, scales or graduations are providedon the ball joint and telescopic extension so that settings optimised onone training session can be reset for a subsequent one(s).

Other preferred variations of the apparatus of the invention include theupwardly extending member or the contact means being adapted so that thecontact regions contact more than one part of the golfer's body at thesame time. This will be advantageous when the golfer is trying to masterthe finer points of the technique. As some golfers may not havesufficiently sensitive skin to detect loss of bodily contact with thesphere, electronic means, in the sphere, may be used to give an audibleor visual indication of loss of contact or excessive pressure ofcontact. This may be especially advantageous on occasions when thegolfer is wearing thick clothing.

For a clearer understanding of the invention and to show how it may beput into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, tothe accompanying drawings in which:—

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a golfer using an embodiment of theinvention with the apparatus touching the front of the left forearm;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation, similar to FIG. 1, with the apparatustouching the front of the right forearm;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation, similar to FIG. 1, with the apparatustouching the side of the left forearm;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation, similar to FIG. 1, with the apparatustouching the front of the left shoulder;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation, similar to FIG. 1, with the apparatustouching the front of the right shoulder;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation, similar to FIG. 1, with the apparatus nowhaving two contact regions touching the fronts of both the left andright shoulders;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a golfer using the apparatus with ittouching the front of the right shoulder;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation of a golfer, using the apparatus, during thebackswing or downswing;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation of the golfer, shown in FIG. 8, during thefollow through;

FIG. 10 is an exploded side elevation of one means of clamping trainingdevice 8 to putter shaft 4; and

FIG. 11 is a part sectional view of the clamping means shown in FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, a golfer 1 is shown in the position for putting,holding a putter 4 in his hands. The head 5 of putter 4 is shownadjacent to a golf ball 6. Attached to the shaft of putter 4 is atraining device 8 embodying the invention, having a clamp 9, thusremovably attaching the training device 8 to the shaft 4 of the putter.The training device is preferably attached at or near the lower end ofthe putter to improve the sensitivity of the device to movements of thegolfer's body. Training device 8 includes an upwardly extending hollowcylindrical member 11 inside which is a piston-type member 12 which maybe withdrawn from cylinder 11 to an appropriate length. A locking means18 is provided to lock piston 12 within cylinder 11 to providesufficient friction to retain the pair of telescopic members 11 and 12at their preset position. The upper end of piston member 12 terminatesin an item (contact means) 13, shown for convenience, as a sphere, andpreferably made of a resilient material, for example a foam-rubber ballinto which the free end of piston member 12 is inserted.

The attachment clamp 9 extends forwardly from shaft 4 (FIG. 7) andincludes a mounting 10 formed of a ball joint or equivalent arrangement,which may be locked by a means such as a screw 7 (FIG. 11). As frequentmajor and minor positional adjustments to the angle of training device 8have to be made to position correctly sphere 13 against an appropriatepart of the golfer's anatomy, easily operated hand screws 7 and 14 arepreferred for locking clamp 9 and mounting 10 in position. Similaradjustments to the length of telescopic member 11, 12 will also have tobe made via locking means 18. The purpose of this arrangement is so thatmembers 11 and 12 are clear of the golfer's hands and allows sphere 13to be adjusted so as to just contact a particular part of the golfer'sbody. In FIG. 1 it is the front (top) of left forearm 3. In FIG. 2 it isthe front of right forearm 2 and in FIG. 3 it is the side of leftforearm 3. In FIG. 4, it is the front of left shoulder 3A, and in FIG. 5it is the front of right shoulder 2A.

In FIG. 6, piston member 12 is replaced by another member 12A,terminating in connection 16 with side arms 17, each terminating in acontact sphere 13. Alternatively, sphere 13 may be removed from the endof member 12 and replaced by a connection (e.g. T-joint) 16, carryingside arms 17. Here, the two spheres 13 contact the fronts of bothshoulders 2A and 3A. Locking device 18 is preferably of the type used ontrekking poles and can be released sufficiently to allow a first pistonmember 12 to be removed and replaced by a second one 12A.

Alternatively, a second rod (not shown) may be clipped or otherwisemounted at some point along the member 12. This second rod may bestraight or may be shaped so as to avoid the golfer's chest. In thiscase, there is no need to detach the sphere 13 from the end of member12. The second rod is simply attached part way along member 12.Preferably, the mounting attaching the second rod to member 12 issituated in the middle of the second rod so that member 12 and thesecond rod form a cross or a T-shape. The device is adjusted usingmounting 10 so that the side of the rod contacts the fronts of both armsor both shoulders simultaneously. Alternatively, the rod may be providedwith one or more spheres or other contact means to provide contactpoints on the golfer's body. Shaping of the second rod (such as bowingoutwards away from the golfer's chest) is preferable when the shouldersare to be contacted. Preferably, the rod would be comprised of foamrubber, or would have foam rubber, or other such material as an outercasing.

The ideal technique for putting is for the shoulders to rotate aroundthe spine caused partly by a rotation of the upper chest (sternum).Anatomical movements of other parts of the body should be kept to aminimum. This is often referred to as a “pendulum stroke”. Successfulputting requires great accuracy and so reducing the anatomical movementsshould make the putting stroke more precise and consistent particularlywhen under pressure.

In particular, in the ideal technique, the hands and arms should notmove relative to the positions of the shoulders during the entireputting stroke (i.e. backswing, downswing and follow through). Forexample, there should be no bending or straightening of the arms andthere should be no cocking, rotating or hinging of the wrists. Theputter, hands, arms and shoulders should remain in a fixed position withrespect to each other throughout the entire stroke.

Training device 8 provides a physical connection between putter 4 andone or more points on the hands, arms, shoulders or upper chest. Anychange in the contact between sphere 13 of training device 8 and thegolfer during the putting stroke (either a loss of contact, an increasein contact pressure or a change in contact position) indicates adeviation from the ideal technique. Training device 8 will identifyincorrect movements of a small magnitude, which is important because ofthe high level of precision required in putting.

The player can practice putting strokes (either hitting a ball orwithout hitting a ball) (FIGS. 8 and 9) attempting to minimise themagnitude of any movement of the contact point on training device 8relative to the initial contact point on the player's body. This helpsthe player to learn good technique, which they can continue to employwhen training device 8 is removed. (The player would not be allowed touse it in competitive play.)

The path of the putter in the horizontal plane may be a straight linealong the line of the putt or may be an arc on the backswing, downswingor follow through depending on the precise movements of the upper chestand shoulders. The ideal technique as described will apply in each caseand so training device 8 can be used to improve technique whicheverputter path the player prefers.

It is a feature of the invention that the action of spheres 13 isdouble-acting, i.e. if the error in the swing is in a first direction,sphere 13 will lose contact with the body of the golfer and if the erroris in a second, opposite direction, sphere 13 will press harder into theflesh. Other errors at right angles to either the first or the seconddirection, will cause sphere 13 to move across the surface of thegolfer's body. This is ideal for a person with sensitive skin, who candetect the relative movement, if any, between his/her body and sphere13. However, not everyone has the required degree of sensitivity. Insuch cases, electronic or mechanical means may be provided to increasethe effectiveness of the training device.

In a first example, an on/off microswitch (not shown) could beincorporated into sphere 13 and training device 8 adjusted so that thepressure of the contact between sphere 13 and the golfer's body closedthe microswitch. Provided sphere 13 maintains contact with the golfer'sbody, the microswitch would remain closed. If, however, an error in theswing caused sphere 13 to lose contact with the golfer's body, themicroswitch would open and cause an alarm to be activated. The alarmcould be either visual, e.g. a flashing light, or audible, e.g. abuzzer.

An alternative to the microswitch could be a dielectric switch (notshown), such as used on microwave cookers and hand dryers, etc. Here,the switch could be closed by the proximity of the golfer's skin andwould open when sphere 13 moved away from the golfer's body. It is knownthat the sensitivity of such switches can be pre-set. An adjustmentcould be provided on sphere 13, e.g. to compensate for the golfer'sclothing, i.e. a thin shirt or a thick fleece.

A variation of this system could be a double-acting alarm. In this case,the sensitivity of the dielectric switch could be adjusted so that itwould give a first signal when sphere 13 is pressed hard against thegolfer's body, no signal when it was just in contact with the body and asecond signal, when contact was broken. In this case, the indicationscould be, for example, either red and green flashing lights, or high andlow pitch buzzers.

Another variation is a purely mechanical switch response, for example,to deformation or relaxation of a resilient sphere 13 to click from oneposition to another, causing a sound to be made either directly orindirectly via a bell, rattle or the like.

Spheres 13 could be interchangeable, e.g. one with no electronicindication, another with uni-directional electronic indication and athird with a bi-directional indication. On sphere 13, there could beon/off switches to save the battery when training device 8 was not inuse and also a delay facility to allow the golfer to set the electronicsbefore taking up his putting stance. Such a delay would give him/her,say 10 seconds, after switching the device on before it becameoperational so that he/she could adopt the correct stance before itstarted flashing or buzzing. A simple friction slip-on/slip-off means ofattachment of spheres 13 on shaft 12 would be ideal.

Thus, the training device is suitable for use in a group setting or forindividual practice. A simple sphere 13 (i.e. one without an alarm)could be used for beginners, when they are likely to be making manyerrors, to allow them to gain the basic principles. As the techniqueimproves sphere 13 could be replaced by one equipped with an alarm toallow the golfer to make further, smaller improvements. Initially, thismight require only an unidirectional sensor but, as the technique getseven better, bi-directional sensors could be used. As people aresometimes sensitive to other people knowing that they are making errors,the flashing light might appeal more to shy golfers, while others mightbe quite happy to use audible indications.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the training device can be used to perfect theputting stroke with respect to a large number of parts of the golfer'sanatomy. In practice, he/she may first try and improve their techniquerelative to the left forearm (FIG. 1), then with respect to the rightforearm (FIG. 2), then the shoulders (FIGS. 4 and 5), etc. Thus, thetraining device accommodates a series of stages of training. Often,there is need to return to a previous stage of the training to ensurethat particular aspects of the technique have been maintained. FIG. 3shows another aspect of technique improvement with sphere 13 against theside of left forearm 3. Similarly, FIG. 6 shows another stage of thetraining. FIGS. 8 and 9 show positions of the putter during thebackswing and follow through respectively.

Mounting 10 may be provided with alignment markings, e.g. a simpleVernier-type of scale, so that, once set, a golfer may note theparticular readings to enable it to be reset for a subsequent trainingsession. Similarly, telescopic member 12 may have graduated markings. Aspart of a programme of training, the golfer would note the settings forcontact with each particular part of the anatomy. This would allow acomplete testing programme to be worked through and permit a return toany particular stage, if necessary. A mark on putter shaft 4 would showwhere to attach clamp 9.

Another form of adjustable clamp 9, 10 is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.Clamp 9 is a part annular collar having spigots with screw-threadedholes, secured by turning a head 19 of a screw 14 (instead of a screw, abolt and a hand nut may be used). Clamp 9 is provided on its oppositeside with a bored spigot 9A. Clamp 9 is fitted by removing or looseningscrew 14, fitting on and sliding up the tapering shaft 4, replacingscrew 14 and tightening. Annular collar 10 is fast with tubular member 8and provided with two bored spigots 10A. Clamp 9 and collar 10 areconnected by a screw 7 through spigot 9A and the screw-threaded holes inspigots 10A (again, instead of a screw, a bolt and hand nut may beused). Collar 10 is secured via screw 7 by turning its head 19A.

Clamp 9 may be rotated around putter shaft 4 to the desired angularposition prior to securing via screw or bolt 14. This allows device 8 tobe angularly aligned with either the left hand side, the right hand sideor the centre of the body. Further angular adjustment to alter the anglebetween device 8 and shaft 4 is available via screw or bolt 7. Thisallows device 8 to be aligned with, for example, the forearm or theshoulder.

These two adjustments, combined with telescopic adjustment 18 of thelength of member 12 (or altering the position of mounting 10 on shaft4), give all the necessary degrees of freedom needed to position sphere13 against any appropriate part of the golfer's arms, shoulders or upperchest. The screws or bolts 7 and 14 can be tightened and adjustedeasily. This allows repeated, minor adjustments to the angles oftraining device 8 (and to the projecting length of member 12) so that aprecise setting of sphere 13 against a chosen part of the golfer'sanatomy can be achieved. Precise setting of sphere 13 is needed to gainfull value from the putting training technique, as described previously.

Training device 8 would preferably be made of strong, light materialssuch as metal alloys, so that the additional weight would have anegligible effect on the golfer's putting action whether using device 8,or not. Any mechanism and/or electronics in sphere 13 can be made verylight and small. Button batteries of the kind commonly employed inwristwatches would provide adequate electrical power to the electronics,particularly if the operational time was limited, e.g. they flashed orbuzzed for only a few seconds, rather than operated continuously, untilreset (i.e. brought back into contact with the golfer's body).

Thus, the apparatus of the invention, whether with or without electronicindication, adds a whole new dimension to golf training devices,particularly for putting.

1. A training device for use with a putter by a golfer for improving thetechnique of putting, the putter having a shaft and a head fixed at thelower end of the shaft, the device comprising: an elongate member,having a first end and at least one second end, the first end beingcomprised of a mounting adapted to be detachably mounted on the shaftsuch that the elongate member extends upwardly away from the shaft at anangle set by an angularly-adjustable part of the mounting; and contactmeans at the second end of the elongate member and adapted to contact anappropriate part of the anatomy of the golfer; wherein the elongatemember and/or said mounting are adjustable so that the elongate memberextends for a predetermined distance and at a predetermined angle sothat the contact means contacts an appropriate part of the anatomy ofthe golfer in such a way that, when the golfer executes a correctputting stroke, the contact means remains in contact with that part ofthe golfer's anatomy throughout the whole of the swing but, if thestroke is not correct, the contact means either loses contact, or movesacross, or presses harder into the anatomy of the golfer.
 2. A trainingdevice, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact means is comprised ofthe second end of the elongate member.
 3. A training device, as claimedin claim 1, wherein the contact means is comprised of a body attached tothe second end of the elongate member.
 4. A training device, as claimedin claim 3, wherein the body is a ball comprised of resilient material.5. A training device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mountingcomprises a clamp and hand operation means.
 6. A training device, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting comprises a ball joint meanswith similar degrees of freedom.
 7. A training device, as claimed inclaim 1 further comprising: at least one scale provided on theangularly-adjustable part of the mounting so that the angle ofattachment of the elongate member relative to the putter shaft can benoted.
 8. A training device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein length ofthe elongate member is adjustable, by a telescopic portion thereof.
 9. Atraining device, as claimed in claim 8, wherein the telescopic portionis comprised of scale markings so that the length of the elongate membercan be noted.
 10. A training device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein theelongate member is comprised of a rod or tube having a single secondend.
 11. A training device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongatemember is comprised of a construction providing more than one second endeach provided with a respective contact means to contact a respectivepart of the anatomy of the golfer.
 12. A training device, as claimed inclaim 3, wherein the body attached to the second end of the elongatemember or each second end of the elongate member is removable and/orinterchangeable.
 13. A training device, as claimed in claim 3, whereinthe body is adapted to give a visual and/or audible indication whencontact with the anatomy of the golfer has been lost.
 14. A trainingdevice, as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indication indicates bothloss of contact and excessive contact pressure with the anatomy of thegolfer.
 15. An assembly comprising a putter and a training device asclaimed in claim
 1. 16. A method of practicing the technique of puttingusing the device as claimed in claim 1, said method comprising the stepsof: mounting the device on a shaft of a putter; adjusting the mountingso that the elongate member of the device extends away from the putterand towards one's body so that the or each contact means lightlycontacts an appropriate body part; and swinging the putter in a puttingstroke in such a way that the contact means remains in contact with thebody part without moving or pressing hard against the body part.